The Unusual Way Sylvester Stallone And Ex Brigitte Nielsen Began Their Romance

While Sylvester Stallone was still married to Sasha Czack in 1985, that didn't mean the "Rocky" star wasn't attracting attention. That year, Brigitte Nielsen was looking to get her acting career kickstarted and was willing to do something provocative to help get her foot in the door. She boldly contacted Stallone while he was staying at a Manhattan hotel. Nielsen slid a photo of herself under Stallone's door with a handwritten note on the back. According to Entertainment Weekly, the message read: "My name is Brigitte Nielsen. I'd really like to meet you. Here's my number."

Stallone was immediately and obviously intrigued, likely both with Nielsen and the audacious nature of her actions. That very night, he called the number she left him on the back of the photo. Stallone would also go over to meet her. It was reported that upon seeing Nielsen, Stallone said "I've got to get to know you better."

The relationship between Stallone and Nielsen burned hot, but that brightness dimmed pretty quickly. It turned out to be another adversity in Sylvester Stallone's life. The two were married in 1985, only months after they met. Irwin Winkler, producer for "Rocky" and Stallone's longtime friend, was quoted as saying "At the time, they were ... very much in love." This didn't last long, as the two fell out and were divorced after only 19 months of marriage. Rumors about the reason for the split flew, ranging from Nielsen allegedly sleeping with her secretary to Nielsen using him to advance her career. All rumors were denied.

When reflecting on her career during an "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" interview, Nielsen said she shouldn't have married Stallone. "If I would go back in time, I shouldn't have married him. And he shouldn't have married me! I don't want to sit here and come across as an angel. I probably was also a pain in the butt at times ... But it really just wasn't for me, and it became very ugly, like some divorces do." Her career never took off, as after their divorce, she was essentially blacklisted in Hollywood thanks to Stallone. Though they have eventually learned to get along, Stallone was so burned by the relationship that he wouldn't remarry until he wed another much younger woman, Jennifer Flavin, in 1997.